There are many unwanted and harmful insects such as beetles, bugs, spiders and millipedes to name a few, that can be found in households and which the resident desires to eliminate. In addition, with the advent of global warming, there is also a migration of insects and other vermin into areas where they were never common before.
The usual method of ridding the home of them is to smash them with the foot or by using a device such as a fly swatter or rolled-up newspaper. If the homeowner is fast enough, this can kill the offending insect, but also leaves an unsightly mess on the surface that must be cleaned up. Insecticide sprays are also available, but can leave a poisonous residue on the surface being sprayed, to later affect humans or pets. In both cases, the dead insect must now be gathered up, which can be difficult and unhygienic.
In addition to the mess of a dead insect, there is also the problem of odor. Some insects, notably the stinkbug, or pentatomoidea, is a new pest in many temperate areas, and gives off an offensive odor when squashed, which serves as an attractant for more of its species, and thus is to be avoided.
Ideally, it would be advantageous to have a method that simply and cleanly snatches the insect up off the surface, leaving no chemical or biological residue. There is prior art that employs a vacuum principle, but these devices are relatively complex, bulky and expensive. The need exists for a device and method to accomplish the goal of removing such pests quickly, safely, easily and inexpensively.